So yes it is that time of year again, it’s my birthday. But this year I am forty and I am really feeling it. I never pictured myself at forty and it is scary. I shyly look in the mirror and find a grey hair. It’s my first present of the day, how wonderful.

Making my way to the kitchen a feel my body creaking and I ponder if leg arthritis is beginning. Yes this is the beginning of the end. I saw my future next week retiring with my cane because I could no longer walk or hold a job down.

As I drop off the kids to school the rain begins to pour. Great, a perfect weather forecast to match my mood. When I get to work I realize I forgot my umbrella at home. Perfect, add it up to a bad hair day for my bad old birthday.

To top it off there is a bouquet of black balloons from my well meaning co-workers. I try to laugh as I slump in my desk and really being a pity party over my declining state of being, knowing it is all down hill from here until death.

As I look at my ringing phone I see it is a birthday call from my best friend Lisa. She probably has the perfect fun filled dig to give me while reminding me she is two years younger. But as I answered I sense that she is upset. I ask her what is wrong but she tries to play it off.

She tries not to cry but I want to know what is wrong as she tells me, ‘I’m so sorry to tell you this today, but I just found out I have breast cancer and I really need a friend right now.’ After hearing this devastating news I feel awful. Here I am in my pity party of one and my best friend just got the worst news of her life. As I console her and tell her it is going to be okay I am slapping myself for being such a selfish idiot.

As I drive home I think to myself how fortunate I am. I have my health I don’t have to make up a disease. My kids are all healthy. I have a good job and roof over my head. There are so many people who have so much less than I do and they have joy. As I scold myself for being so innately stupid in my way of thinking I pull into the driveway where my husband and kids have made a special dinner for me and as I enter the door I no longer think about the crow’s feet but how blessed I truly am.

I dread looking in the mirror because today is my fortieth birthday. As I stagger to the mirror I see yet another little wrinkle tied to my new graying hair. I can fix the wrinkle I guess and the hair color will get rid of the hair but it is a bit depressing.

Making my way to the kitchen a feel my body creaking and I ponder if leg arthritis is beginning. Yes this is the beginning of the end. I saw my future next week retiring with my cane because I could no longer walk or hold a job down.

I go through my usual day of getting the kids off to school and then drive down the road to work in a slight drizzle. Great, as I think to myself, a perfect addition to my mood; rain. As I get to my office I think what a great day it is to walk in the rain from my parking spot to the building and why I bothered even doing my hair.

To top it off there is a bouquet of black balloons from my well meaning co-workers. I try to laugh as I slump in my desk and really being a pity party over my declining state of being, knowing it is all down hill from here until death.

By the afternoon I am in a basic state of depression and mourning my youth when I see my phone ID spark Lisa’s name as it rings. I pick it up knowing that she will be having fun teasing me since she is after all two years younger than me. But she is not her usual self and the teasing has a bit of sadness to it.

She apologizes profusely and says she does not want to tell me this on my birthday. But then the tears start and she tells me she just got the news that she has breast cancer. As my heart sinks in my stomach I cry with her. I try to reassure her that everything is going to be okay and I will be there for her. I wish I could hug her through the phone and think to myself how I could be so selfish.

The burden I share with my friend makes me realize how fortunate I am. Sure I feel older but I can look forward to more years where she is doubtful of hers. How could I be so self absorbed and not see all the blessings around me that I have. I was too wrapped up in my own pity. So as I pull up the drive I thank God for the blessings I do have and squeeze my kids hard and thank the man above.

Many people believe that the majority of skin-ageing is caused by too much sun exposure. This is a huge figure and one that has to be taken seriously for anyone who is looking at ways in delaying the aging process.

A strong sun tan lotion would be strongly advisable to those people who insist on sunbathing for long periods of time. The sun lotion should be applied at regular times throughout the day as per the guidelines on the bottle – and a little bit of shade from time to time would also be advisable.

It is also important to ensure we get enough sleep. Research suggests that people who only average around six hours sleep per night will age in looks far quicker than people who average eight hours. When I was younger I had a stutter, this caused me many a sleepless night. I was eager to find out how to stop stuttering as I was desperate to achieve fluency. I attended various forms of stammering treatments and was eventually able to achieve fluency. Those years with many nights of lack of sleep will have certainly aged me – years I can not reclaim – but what the heck I am fluent now!

Again this is very logical as if you have a period of a couple of weeks when you do not get enough sleep, bags can appear under your eyes. If you have a really good nights sleep you tend to wake up not only feeling fresh and awake but also looking fresh and healthy. My advice here for people who have developed these bags under their eyes would be to use a good eye cream or to gently massage their eyes every day.

Getting a good nights sleep is not always easy; I know that. I used to worry a lot about work; I sold external doors and always felt under pressure to get more sales which often led to a sleepless night. I also had a part job time of which I needed plenty of energy for which was offering people advice about obtaining cheap mobile phone calls.

Something which without doubt speeds up the ageing process is smoking cigarettes. To quit smoking is not easy however, but it is a must for people on a quest to delay the aging process. There are of course many other reasons to stop smoking, therefore be brave and look at ways to quit smoking today.

Men are a funny breed of animal; it’s a fact that as they grow older, men need to address a few things though they almost always refuse to do so. Maybe this is illustrative of the old saying that men and boys are only different when it comes to the cost of their toys, but the fact is that it’s always a good idea for any man to sit down and assess where he is and where he’s going.

This doesn’t mean that obsessing over growing older is the way to go, because it most certainly isn’t. What it does mean, though, is that having a plan for a nice retirement income should be a part of any young man’s outlook on life. The old story about the ant and the grasshopper — in which the grasshopper was left out in the cold — it’s a good parable to keep in mind.

However, there are a number of things that are conspiring to keep men from planning for the long run. A literal obsession with aging is leading to activities like men waxing parts of their body they never even used to pay attention to in olden times. Still, it’s probably better that they wax hair off the chests and backs rather than try to dye it with some sort of shoe polish, for example.

For men, they should consider the time when they’re between 20 and 60 as a golden opportunity to get ahold of a great deal of gold in the form of savings and investments. Those 40 years are when men generally feel the most vigorous and when they can also do the most work. Trying to make up for lost years in the 60s to ensure a decent living in the 70s is hardly the way to go, it would seem.

For fact, it’s much smarter to save and invest over 40 years than to try to do so over 10, especially when one is a man and has a somewhat shorter life expectancy than a woman. So, it’s far smarter to take the money that was going to be spent on anti aging eye cream and put it into an interest-bearing account and add to it regularly than it would be to blow a wad on something so temporary as cream.

What’s for certain is that compounding of interest is going to lead to the little bit of money that initially went into that account — as long as a little bit is added to it regularly — turning into a large bit of money over time. At age 60, if that account has been attended to for 40 years, one will be shocked at how much money is going to be in it, though most men refuse to consider taking such action.

Perhaps considering something like what’s been discussed is in some way conceding that one will get old (though one never has to get ‘old, ‘ in all the ways that really matter) and perhaps it’s just a man’s way of refusing to confront the stubborn truth of things. We all have to age and it’s really what defines us as humans, but we have the advantage of being able to plan for it, so take heart in that.

Your brain is an organ and just like the heart and lungs, it requires oxygen and exercise in order to operate at an optimum level. You may be too young to yield to middle-aged worries about ‘ use it or lose it’ or even to start fretting about Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases – however, it’s still important that you focus on keeping your brain in shape.

By regularly engaging in the right types of activities, you can increase your memory, improve your problem-solving skills and boost your creativity. Here are some tips on how to keep your mind active:

Quit smoking

If you are a smoker, quitting is top of the ‘to-do’ list for better mental acuity. This is due to the fact that smokers can add memory loss to the long list of health problems that come from smoking. Smokers may have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease as do people who have never smoked. Therefore, if the state and health of your mind are so important to you – stop smoking now — it is never too late. If you quit smoking now, you can still reduce your risk of memory loss later in life

Learn a language

Say ‘Ciao!’ to a new language. Learning to speak Spanish or Mandarin will keep your brain flexible and your mind sharp, helping to reduce the slowing of the thought processes that come with ageing. Attend lessons, listen to tapes from your library (a place you should be spending a lot of time in by the way!) or seek out friends with whom you can converse in your new chosen language. Instead of watching the same old television programs week after week, take in a foreign language movie with subtitles and immerse yourself in your new experience.

Play games

Thanks to an ageing baby-boom generation, there are now plenty of mentally stimulating games. As their name implies, brainteasers and other such puzzles are good exercises for the brain. At sites like at sites like Free Printable Sudoku you’ll find the best print sudoku puzzles. Always have a crossword book in your briefcase or purse and work on it while you commute, while you wait for an appointment or when you relax on your coffee break. You will improve your cognitive skills and creative thinking as well as your word power and vocabulary. Try also games that force you to strategize like chess, bridge and solitaire.

Learn a new skill

A long-term goal like learning to play a musical instrument stimulates your brain on many levels over an extended period. A skill like learning to tango or foxtrot is great for the brain because it combines music and movement. Make everyday activities slightly harder You can stimulate your brain just by mixing up your daily routine. If you are right handed, brush your teeth with your left hand, shower with your eyes closed — anything that will force you to use more of your senses.

Read

Whether it is a website, a novel or a newspaper, keeping your mind engaged in intellectual activity and expanding your vocabulary are two important ways to keep your brain thinking and working. As an extra exercise, repeat facts to yourself that you want to remember a few times – and try to recall them again later.

Socialize

Your brain is the ultimate party animal and loves social activity. Seek out clubs or other social activities that will surround you with people and have you interacting. New scenery, new topics of conversation and other multi-sensory activities force the brain to literally form new connections, thus increasing memory capacity.